GRAFTON – A lot of our older veterans sit in silence about their experiences during war time. Someone you see before you today, who is old and frail and struggling with everyday tasks, was once young, full of strength and ready for battle. People go into war with so much pride in their hearts, and no matter what kind of trauma they go through, veterans leave the war zones with that same pride and hide their trauma. The Grafton Historical Society is responsible for collecting stories from the silent. We have the families to thank for documenting and sharing with us the stories of their loved ones who have served.
We know the basic details of wars over the years, such as World War Ⅱ, but we do not know a lot about each individual who served during that time. Historians at the Grafton Historical Society and families of veterans dig deeper into who those local heroes really are. Many of these folks have unfortunately passed away, but if we have someone’s story on file at our museum, their legacy can carry on. Many of us at the museum are fortunate enough to have known or know veterans and the stories of these brave soldiers or their family members provided the museum with this information.
A story had recently caught my eye, as I personally knew the individual I was researching many years ago, while working at an assisted living facility. He and his wife were Lawrence (Larry) and Reta of Farnumsville (South Grafton). I have fond memories of the couple and their family, so reading about their lives in depth was extremely moving, as I did not know what they had been through. Larry and Reta married on August 28, 1937. They were both born on May 7, 1915, and delivered by the same doctor in Farnumsville.
The couple went through some terribly hard times but remained incredibly loving, friendly and optimistic people. The file at the museum included letters Reta received while Larry was fighting the Battle of the Bulge and afterwards, from January to May of 1945. The letters indicated that Larry was missing in action, and then became a prisoner of war in Germany. You could only imagine Reta’s distress over her husband while caring for their young daughter back in Farnumsville, never knowing what was happening to her darling husband over in Germany.
Thankfully Larry did eventually return to his family and he was honorably discharged from the Army in November of 1945. Larry would never speak of what he went through during his time as a prisoner of war until about 60 years later, when his granddaughter interviewed him for a college term paper. After learning of the horrors Larry had lived through, his family encouraged him to apply for the military benefits he had earned and was entitled to. Larry did not view himself as entitled to anything of that manner, but thankfully his family was able to convince him. Though he did not die in war, he paid the ultimate sacrifice with his suffering and trauma, which he carried with him silently for years and years.
When Larry and the family began to fill out the pages upon pages of application paperwork, their eyes filled with tears as Larry’s family listened to their loving and kind father and grandfather speak of the horrible treatment he endured as a prisoner of war. Just to name a few details, Larry and the other prisoners were forced to march through the snow for days, many of them frostbitten from the weather conditions that had to endure. They were malnourished and forced to dig holes for the bodies of the Jewish people who were experimented on and then murdered.
Having known this man myself, and having looked into his eyes, I cannot imagine that he had seen so much horror, as I find myself all these years later reading about it in a file at the museum in which I volunteer. How quickly after people pass we forget what they sacrificed for us. At the museum, I have come across the names of men who went missing during time of war from Grafton who were forgotten until I have reached out to their family in attempt to learn more about who they are. Some of the younger members of the family were stunned to hear the story of their long lost relative. Then a conversation amongst the family about this veteran gets going and their name comes up again in family conversations.
Keeping history alive is not just about the first settlers of this land, it is also about what happened during your parents’ time, your grandparents’ time and even what you put behind you yesterday. Help us at the Grafton Historical society to keep these stories and your stories preserved and remembered forever.
A special thank you to the family of Reta and Larry for keeping their father’s legacy alive in their family and here in our museum. It’s been an absolute pleasure and an honor to learn more about our local heroes.
